Pinot Noir Le Caprice 2013
AVA, Peter Michael Winery, 750 ml
| Grape variety: | Pinot noir |
| Producer: | Peter Michael Estate |
| Origin: | USA / California / Sonoma Coast |
| Other vintages: |
Description
Named for the Pinot Noir grape as a reference to its capricious and somewhat demanding disposition. Le Caprice embodies the challenge of growing this varietal well, and the ethereal and glorious elements that Peter Michael strives to capture. This wine is made from grapes grown in the steepest of their Sonoma Coast vineyards, with a slightly eastern aspect and a resulting decrease in the cool maritime influences. Le Caprice is the most fruit-forward of their three estate Pinot Noirs. The wine shows intense aromas of raspberry liqueur, red cherry and blackberry mixed with leather and graphite. The palate is expressive and delivers Grillottes cherry, sandalwood, raspberry, wild strawberry, pheasant fur, forest floor, hazelnut, mussels and leather, with a background of raspberry liqueur. The texture is round, tactile and mineral driven. The wine is already expressive and will continue to develop for at least a decade.
Attributes
| Origin: | USA / California / Sonoma Coast |
| Grape variety: | Pinot noir |
| Ripening potential: | 2 to 20 years after harvest |
| Drinking temperature: | 16 to 18 °C |
| Food Pairing: | Châteaubriand, Filet Wellington, Goulash, boeuf bourguignon, Rabbit ragout with olives, Roast saddle of venison, Hearty stew with pulses |
| Vinification: | soft pressing |
| Harvest: | hand-picking with simultaneous grape sel |
| Maturation: | in partly new and used barriques/ Pièces |
| Maturation duration: | 16 months |
| Volume: | 14.5 % |
| Note: | Contains sulphites |
Peter Michael Winery
In the 1970s, Sir Peter Michael came to California as a young engineer and discovered the emerging wine world of California, with some excellent names already drawing international attention.
This awakened his desire to try something new. The search for a suitable piece of land ended in the secluded Knights Valley on the western slope of Mount St. Helena, in the east of Sonoma County, north of Napa Valley. The first vines were planted in 1983. His son Paul was helping out at the time and was full of enthusiasm, although the rows of vines were extremely difficult to set up on the very steep (inclines of up to 40%), stony layers of primarily volcanic rock. Later, Sir Peter was able to buy more plots of land on the coast and in Oakville, in Napa: Fort Ross-Seaview, with perfect growing conditions for Pinot Noir, and Au Paradis, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
Pinot noir
Blueprint of the terroir
No other variety expresses its terroir as precisely as Pinot noir. It is a sensitive, fragile grape. But when it succeeds, it gives the world some of its very greatest wine plants. It especially excels in Burgundy, where it has been cultivated for at least 700 years. Even in the middle ages, it was considered so precious that it was kept separate from other grapes so as to not diminish its value. The finest examples are delicate and fragrant with aromas of cherries and red berries. With maturity, notes of forest floor, leather and truffles enter as well. An irresistible fruity sweetness still shines through, even after several decades. The Pinot noir does well in cool locations: in Switzerland and in Germany, where it is known as Blauburgunder and Spätburgunder respectively; in Alsace and in South Tyrol, in Oregon, New Zealand and Tasmania. Not least, it yields fantastic champagnes. It is a wonderful culinary companion. With its soft tannins and charming bouquet, it meshes with everything, from Güggeli and cheeses to fried fish.
California
California: Lots of fruit and ripe tannins
Around 90 percent of the wine produced in the USA comes from California. The Napa Valley, situated roughly 100 kilometers north of San Francisco, is the most prominent wine region in the western hemisphere. California vintners first caused an international sensation with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Today, however, superior wines are also produced from Pinot Noir, Syrah and other varieties. California’s wine country shows more variety today than ever before.
USA
USA - Yes, they can!
The United States is the third-largest nation on the planet in terms of both land area (after Russia and Canada) and population (after China and India). Every conceivable climate zone can be found in the US, from hot deserts to arctic frost. Thanks to immigration from all over the world, the US is probably the most multicultural country on the planet. Thus it has the ideal conditions for producing internationally recognized wine.
